Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2026

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

How can we boost IQs of "dull children"?: A late adoption study

M Duyme1, A C Dumaret, S Tomkiewicz

  • 1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U.155, Epidémiologie Génétique, Université Paris VII, 75251 Paris, France. duyme@ccr.jussieu.fr

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 21, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Children adopted after experiencing abuse or neglect showed significant IQ gains. Higher socioeconomic status adoptive families resulted in greater IQ improvements for adopted children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Welfare Studies
  • Adoption Research

Background:

  • Deprived children, defined as abused and/or neglected in infancy, face developmental challenges.
  • Previous research indicates adoption can positively impact children's development.
  • Socioeconomic status (SES) of adoptive families may influence outcomes for adopted children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of adoption on the IQ of deprived children.
  • To examine the relationship between the adoptive family's socioeconomic status and IQ gains.
  • To assess the long-term cognitive development, including verbal and performance IQ, in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Selection of 65 deprived children adopted between 4-6 years with pre-adoption IQ <86.
  • Comparison of IQ at adolescence (mean age 13.5 years) based on adoptive family's SES (low vs. high).
  • Analysis of IQ changes and correlation with pre-adoption IQ scores.

Main Results:

  • Significant IQ gains observed post-adoption, with greater gains in higher SES families (19.5 points) compared to lower SES families (7.7 points).
  • Pre-adoption IQ scores were significantly correlated with post-adoption IQ scores.
  • Adolescent adopted children exhibited significantly lower verbal IQ compared to performance IQ.

Conclusions:

  • Adoption significantly enhances cognitive abilities in previously deprived children.
  • The socioeconomic environment of the adoptive family plays a crucial role in the extent of cognitive improvement.
  • Long-term cognitive profiles show a disparity between verbal and performance IQ in adopted children.

More Related Videos

An Electrophysiology Protocol to Measure Reward Anticipation and Processing in Children05:04

An Electrophysiology Protocol to Measure Reward Anticipation and Processing in Children

Published on: October 4, 2018

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties12:55

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...
Psychometric Approach of Cognitive Development01:28

Psychometric Approach of Cognitive Development

The psychometric approach examines cognitive development by measuring individual differences in abilities that contribute to intelligence. Intelligence includes the capacity to learn, remember, apply knowledge, understand relationships among concepts, and solve everyday problems. Intelligent behavior is generally goal-directed and adaptive because it helps individuals achieve objectives and adjust to changing situations.Intelligence Testing in ChildrenIn school-age children, intelligence is...
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter more...
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
Binet's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence01:23

Binet's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence

Alfred Binet, along with his student Théophile Simon, was tasked by the French Ministry of Education in 1904 to create a method for identifying students who struggled to learn through conventional classroom instruction. This initiative aimed to address overcrowding by placing such students in specialized schools. Binet and Simon developed an intelligence test comprising 30 tasks, ranging from simple commands, like touching one's nose or ear, to more complex tasks, such as drawing designs from...
Wechsler's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence01:23

Wechsler's Contribution to Measures of Intelligence

David Wechsler, a psychologist who worked with World War I veterans, developed a significant IQ test in 1939 called the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale. This test was innovative because it combined several subtests that measured both verbal and nonverbal skills, reflecting Wechsler's belief that intelligence is a global capacity involving purposeful action, rational thinking, and effective interaction with the environment. This test later evolved into the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale...